Discord
by thinking of england
Summary: The SSX Tricky inaugural world tour is beginning. The only competition more intense than on the slopes is the rivalries flaring up in the lodge, where thirteen of the most diverse people from all corners of the globe live together in contention.
1. The Morning After

**A/N: Anybody love SSX Tricky as much as I do? Well I'm playing around with a first person POV from that time period. Read and Review as you please. **

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Waking up next to Psymon Stark was strange and a bit startling at first. But the feeling of his ridiculously jacked arm slung across my waist was oddly comfortable. I could feel the heat of his naked body pressed up against my backside, hear his smooth, even breaths in sync with every rise and fall of his rock solid chest.

I turned my body into his embrace and took a few moments to relax and shake off the extreme grogginess of a killer hangover. Once my eyes fluttered open, I found my fingers tracing the binding chains etched into his upper body. Of all the tattoos I've seen on guys there were never any quite as intricate and morbid as these.

As I slid out of bed with nothing but a cotton sheet to cover myself, the realization that Psymon roomed alone due to his maniacal antics gave me even greater ease of the situation. As not to disturb him I used the horizontal slits of sunlight peeking through the blinds to guide me as I collected clothes that had been scattered across the floor the previous night. I found my hoodie right next to the door, then v-neck, bright red bra, jeans, and (ripped, that bastard) panties in a trail leading towards the bed.

I stole a quick glance in the mirror. My smudged makeup gave me the look of a stoned raccoon, complete with bloodshot eyes and a shaggy mane of long, dark hair. The only way to fix this mess was to sit under scalding hot water for half an hour.

Even though I couldn't think of anything sexier than a shower with the man I just had a very long night with, I thought better of it this time and dressed quickly. I noticed Psymon stir in the bed as the bedroom door creaked open. Eyelids cracking open for a millisecond, he rolled over to face the wall with a rumbling yawn. Then more steady breathing.

I dragged my feet down the hallway towards room 112. My very own _kawaii_ roommate was sleeping soundly, thank goodness. Time to shower up and then back to bed for me, hopefully avoiding any awkward questions that I couldn't even begin to fathom answers for. Kaori was very nosy.

Taps on full hot, I felt the relief of the hot steam creeping out of the shower. My head was finally clearing up a little bit.

Tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner sat quietly on the countertop next to tiny soap bars. Kaori had organized her sparkly toothbrush, assorted neon hair clips, and cutesy lip glosses in a line near the sink. It made me feel sick.

It wasn't really Kaori's toiletries. I fell to my knees and worshiped the porcelain god, having a second taste of all the booze I'd downed.

I wiped my mouth and crawled into the shower.

This was going to be a very long winter on the SSX World Tour.


	2. Fake It

**A/N: That first bit was just an intro, all the rest of the chapters will be substantially longer, and I'm going to try to update this once a week. Thank you so very much for those who review, your input is invaluable.**

* * *

Later that afternoon things seemed to be back to boring and humdrum. Kaori and Mac kept nudging each other and giggling over their bowls of cereal (repulsive, really). Elise was lounged out on the couch, painting her fingernails and Eddie was squished in the corner besides her. His fingers tapped away on the keyboard of his fancy laptop. 

Elise seemed more pompous than usual today, mostly because of the gold medal she snagged in the race event. I think the Canadian pride drove her adrenaline over the top because she smacked Marisol so hard that the latin heartthrob went flying into a snow bank and took a ride down the back country on her ass. "Good, you're awake. We were beginning to think that you'd died from all of that Bacardi," Elise greeted.

I groaned. "Please, don't, I can still fucking taste it."

Psymon sat on the kitchen counter smoking a cigarette. He smirked knowingly at me as I poured a cup of coffee. But he didn't say a word, just mumbled to himself. He appeared not to be having an outwardly crazy day thus far.

"Konichiwa, Charlotte! You looked really tired this morning, so I let you sleep through breakfast," called out Kaori.

"Thanks, Kay," I said wearily. I took a seat in one the lounge's squishy armchairs near the fireplace, clutching my coffee for warmth. "How are conditions, has anybody been out there yet?"

"It's a perfect day. Lots of fresh powder," replied Brodi. He smiled warmly, radiating zenlike tranquility. His voice was deep and smooth like velvet. "You should go out and take a few runs before the meeting," he said.

"Um... What meeting?" I asked. Rahzel, our tour manager, was always scheduling little briefs with updates on changes in the tour. Upper management must suck a little because things are always done last-minute around here.

"Rahzel wants everybody here at five, sharp. He's definitely going to chew us out for the hot tub incident again," replied Elise, rolling her eyes. "I don't even see what the big deal was."

"Marisol almost drowned," replied Brodi.

"Nobody would have missed that bitch," Elise retorted darkly.

"Probably not," agreed Eddie.

"If that Latin ho wasn't here, Elise would have to take over her spot as resident whore of the circuit," retorted Psymon. He dragged in hard on his cigarette. Seeing the white smoke float out from between his parted lips and out his nostrils made me crave a cigarette something fierce. But I'm clean now.

"Shut it, you mental case," snapped back Elise. She sat up and twisted her upper body to face Psymon. "Don't you have any knives to go play with?"

Psymon's lips twitched into a sneer. "Watch it, Riggs."

Kaori glanced over at Psymon with a look of contempt and fear. She bitched and moaned whenever he smoked inside, but only once he was out of earshot. It wasn't just Kaori who stayed out of Psymon's way, everyone on the tour seemed to keep their distance. He was kind of a loner.

"They're calling for nine inches of snow tonight! The course is going to be sick tomorrow when we do our freestyle comp!" called out Eddie. He clicked the mouse, absorbed in crazy, in-depth weather reports. Rahzel never tells us those kinds of things, so somebody has to.

"You got your nine inches last night," Psymon growled into my ear as he swept by. The crazy Canadian flicked his cigarette butt at Kaori, causing the girl to squeal, and grabbed a board on his way outside.

I wasn't sure whether to be appalled or deeply amused. The confusion must have registered on my face because Brodi chimed in. "Something amiss, Charlotte?"

"Nah, I'm good. Or I will be once I finish a couple cups of coffee," I smiled politely.

"It's just... Usually your aura matches your eyes. Deep blue. But today its so dark that its almost black," said Brodi. He was always banging on about spirituality.

I shrugged. "Maybe a few good runs will brighten it up." Coffee on the go works just as well. I didn't so much mind Brodi's prying as much as how badly Kaori's shrill giggling was worsening my headache.

It was only about two or three, enough time to hop on the gondola and get some practice in before Rahzel's brief later. I gazed out at the course in all of it's snowy glory. All of the jumps were perfectly packed, with a complex system of rails winding over and around them. I pondered which boarder would shuffle in late for the meeting tonight, fueling Rahzel's extremely volatile temperament.

Speaking of the devil, the Dj was waxing his board up at the top of the run.

"Hey Razzie," I greeted. He smiled up at me.

"Thompson, I didn't think I'd see you out here so early," he remarked sarcastically. Rahzel could be good company, unless he was packed in a room full of boarders he was hired to baby sit. Mostly Rahzel was pleasant to deal with on the slopes or with a mic at hand.

"Surprised me too! But we've got a showoff comp tomorrow. So i figured, what the hell," I replied. I stomped my feet into their bindings and shifted my body weight left and right.

"Damn right. And you'd better get a medal or your ass is sacked," he said sternly. Then he broke down and chuckled.

"Yeah right. Like you could find anyone as badass as me to fill the void," I quipped. "See you at, what was it, six thirty?!"

"Five sharp!" Rahzel called as I pushed off towards the first jump. Launching off the cliffside, I cranked out a triple back flip with a tail wag. I picked up speed upon landing and veered off to the line where the powder was thicker. Crouching down in preparation for the next jump, I grinned. This was the only place I felt totally sane and in control.

* * *

This morning Elise threw a curling iron at Marisol. 

I was going to sleep in until the last possible moment before I had to haul my ass over to the slopes, but two women shrieking at each other in the threshold of your room makes getting some shuteye a tad bit tricky.

Marisol was, if possible, even prissier than Elise. She had more curves than any slope I've ever boarded and bore the potential to destroy anybody's self-esteem in less than fifteen minutes. Except Elise, who bitched right back twice as fierce.

At breakfast Elise was stomping all over the lodge, still fuming. "That stupid bitch. I can't believe her. Can you believer her?"

"Nope," replied Eddie, voice muffled from the toast he was munching on. "Have some food, you'll feel better."

"I don't want to eat, I want to throttle that whore!" replied Elise. She groaned and sank down onto the couch next to Brodi. He picked up her hand and began to gently massage Elise's wrist.

"So that's where her off switch is!" Zoe whispered to me, chuckling. Out of all the girls on the tour, Zoe was my favorite to spend time with. Whenever Moby was off PMSing we would check out the local scene or just kill time.

"You can deck Marisol today, and I'll take care of Seeiah," Eddie told Elise. it was cute how he tried to hoard Elise's attention away from Brodi, who had moved on to rubbing Elise's shoulders.

"Charlotte, you nervous about the comp?" Zoe asked me. We were seated in the small kitchenette, still within earshot of the drama but far enough away to carry on a half-decent conversation.

"A little," I admitted. "I haven't even placed yet in a freestyle, and that's my bread and butter."

Zoe smirked. "As long as you don't suck as bad as Marisol, you'll be fine. Besides, I've seen you ride before and you're pretty damn good. I can't pull off tricks that tight."

I grinned to show my appreciation. Sweetness wasn't Zoe's strong suit most of the time. "Yeah. I'm feeling good about today."

She sipped her coffee. "Good. Now get your ass in gear or we're going to be late."

I looked down at my tight black sweatpants and snugly hoodie. My pajamas can double as outerwear, too. "Whatever, I can race in this. Where'd Moby get to?"

"Been practicing since the crack of dawn," replied Zoe, rolling her eyes. "He's hell bent on beating Mac. I personally don't think it's going to happen... But you know. Men and their games."

"Yeah, I do know," I said. I stood up and downed the rest of my coffee. I laced up my boots and grabbed my favorite board, one of the masterpieces I'd designed back when I was being an artist. If all the caffeine pumping through my veins wasn't enough to get me cranked up for the showoff, running my hands over the freshly waxed board did the trick.

Elise, Brodi and Eddie tagged along with us.

When we got to the top of the run Zoe saw Jp chatting it up with Marisol and Seeiah near the starting gate. "If Jp gets any prettier I'm going to buy him a pair of boobs," she sneered. Jp did like to uphold the appearance of being very clean and stylish.

Seeing Jp without his troll of a best friend made him look like slightly less of an eyesore. But I think he was trying to get some from Marisol (who throws it around town like the fucking paperboy) and Luther tends to scare away any and all women. He especially gets along terribly with Seeiah, they argue about whatever the topic du jour is, and we argue about who's uglier.

Moby trekked over and scooped up Zoe by the waist. "Miss me, love!"

"Gah! Put me down!" Zoe choked out through a fit of laughter and she struggled to get her feet back on the ground. She playfully smacked Moby on the arm.

That was my cue to bow out silently. I wandered over to the far side of the warm-up area. I saw Psymon standing alone, gazing down on at the course and talking to himself. All of a sudden, he broke out in a fit of manaical laughter. It would be stranger to me if Psymon didn't do things like that.

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**Please leave a review on your way out!**


	3. Closer

**A/N: Mmkay, new update. Hopefully you guys like it, and thank you for those who reviewed.**

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Three days into the Snowdream competition, I caved. 

Psymon was lounged out behind the bleachers smoking a cigarette after practice runs. He was wearing dirty jeans and a wife beater, and didn't even seem to feel the biting cold.

Hostility reflected in Psymon's stone grey eyes but somehow I felt compelled to go closer. I walked over towards him slowly, my black boots crunching on the thin sheet of ice coating the parking lot.

"Can I bum one?" I asked. Psymon looked up at me, and held out his crumpled pack of cigarettes.

"You back for more?" Psymon spoke gruffly. "I knew you couldn't get enough of me."

"I've had a long fucking day, okay?" I retorted, snatching one of the cigarettes and lighting it. My cheeks burned with embarrassment, and it felt like he was undressing me with his eyes. Why did I have to get naked with Psymon Stark?

"So how come you're not even cold at all?" I asked out of whim. I was shivering on the spot all bundled up, with a fluffy scarf and everything, and he was practically bare chested. The moonlight casted shadows on all of the ripples in Psymon's upper body muscles, as well as catching all of the angles in his goatee'd, pierced, scarred face. I think if i weren't frozen solid I would have turned right around and left.

"I killed off a bunch of my nerve endings in an accident," he replied. "Don't tell me one of those stupid skanks hasn't filled you in yet?"

I looked up into his gaze, stone grey eyes boring into me. It's true, I'd heard garbled tales and snarky comments galore about a BMX accident and some power lines. I've seen Psymon's irregular behavior and personality quirks after being on the tour for a month or so. Heard the screams coming from his room late at night. Listened to him bitch to Rahzel about the 'cute, little pills' he simply refused to take.

"So did you come over here because you want to fuck me again, or what?" asked Psymon. He smirked.

"No, I'm actually here to smoke," I replied. "I haven't touched one of these things since last spring."

"This is a bitch habit to fall back into," Psymon replied. He blew a smoke ring at me.

We stood in silence and smoked. The rush of nicotine made me feel at ease and a tad bit lightheaded. But it was welcome after the tedious day of practice runs cooped up in Japan's biggest indoor ski resort. No matter how many times I busted out 1080s, mistys and rodeos paired with uber tricks, I couldn't even touch Mac's records. I ate so much fake snow. I really hope that shit isn't toxic.

Psymon finished his cigarette and flicked the butt away, sighing as the smoke poured out into the crisp night air. He turned back towards the parking lot.

"A few of us are going to grab some dinner in an hour or so. You up for it?" I offered, placing my hand on his forearm to grab his attention. Big mistake.

Psymon's muscles tensed. "You want to keep that hand?"

I was left leaning against the bleachers alone, cigarette perched between my frozen fingers. I waited until Psymon was long gone before I headed back to the lodge. The snowboard under my arm seemed ten times heavier than it had all day.

* * *

I brought sushi and chicken flavored ramen back to the hotel with Zoe after we hit up a few of the stores on the main fashion strip in Tokyo. I had blown most of my paycheck buying new clothes, boards, boots, and some other odds and ends just because I had the money. 

The streets were crowded with throngs of people and bright neon signs glowed and buzzed everywhere you looked. A heavy flow of traffic was ever present in the streets. But I loved the soundtrack of the city, it's what I grew up knowing.

Zoe had signed a ton of autographs in one of the parks we were cutting through after some young girls recognized her as a semi-professional snowboarder. Only one of the girls knew my name, and she held out a sharpie and scrap of paper sheepishly. But I didn't feel the least bit overshadowed somehow.

Once we came back, Zoe ran off with Moby 'just for a few minutes'.

I sat on my bed eating with chopsticks and flipping through channels on the plasma two hours later. Japanese tv shows were very odd. There were people covered in honey who were rolling around in piles of money. Click. An eating contest. Click. Some crappy Anime. Click. More anime...

Just as I had stumbled upon a channel that was in English, someone knocked loudly.

I flung open the door to see Elise's slender figure standing in the door frame. She towered over me by at least five or six inches, not counting her black pumps. Despite my urges to slam the door shut in her face, I said, "Hey bombshell. Funny seeing you here."

"Cut the small talk, Thompson," Elise retorted. She swept by me and entered the suite. "I lost my key somewhere. I'll get a new one tomorrow."

Whatever. I shrugged and resumed my place watching the news. Who the hell am I kidding, I hate the news.

"So what's with you and Sketchy? I saw you two smoking together last night," said Elise. She was indian style on her own bed, still clad in a black, low-cut dress. A bunch of the racers must have gone out clubbing.

I shrugged. "Let's see here... Nobody else around here smokes. I blew all my money on some new shit and can't afford a pack here. They're expensive as hell."

Elise laughed. "Charlotte, you're so naive. Don't think nobody saw you and Psymon slip into his room last time on New Year's eve. You were all over each other."

I froze on the spot. Who else knew?

As if Elise could read my mind, she replied, "I haven't told anybody. I think it's kind of sweet."

"I didn't get with Psymon," I replied dully.

"Then what exactly were you doing running your hands all over each other, kissing and giggling and spending the night together?" asked Elise sweetly.

I frowned. Okay, so Elise knew. I had to scrape together some dirt on her. One thing I know about girls like her is they don't understand niceness, the only language they speak is bitch.

"Well I you flirt with Brodi every single chance you get. Got a little crush, Elise?" I retorted. Elise narrowed her eyes.

"I respect him for his talent," Elise retorted.

"No, you want to bang him," I corrected.

Elise stormed off into the shower, so I was safe. The less people who knew about me shacking up with Psymon, the better. I don't want to be labeled as crazy by association.

* * *

Snowdream was closed the morning before the race so they could do a full cleanup and get plenty of fake snow on the slopes, so I went into the hotel's gym with Zoe for a workout. I noticed a little congestion deep in my chest while I was on the treadmill, I was definitely getting a cold. I never liked running very much but it was a vital part of my fitness plan. I figured that, snowboarding skills aside, I could outrun half of the boarders on the circuit who were not in the best of shape. 

Across the gym Jp was pumping iron while Luther spotted him. Even from across a room full of sweaty people and fitness equipment, I could still smell Luther, he was pungent like a perennial dumpster diver.

Zoe was doing upside-down crunches on a bar. "What are you on?" I asked, taking a swig of fancy french water. I brushed my sweaty bangs out of my eyes. They were just long enough to be in my face, but too short to tuck behind my ears.

"One ninety two... Once ninety three..." Zoe grunted in between crunches. A couple sets later, she crawled back into an upright position on the ground.

"I don't remember that last time I sweated like this," Zoe laughed, grabbing my water bottle and downing the rest. "It's nice though, puts me in a good mood."

Zoe could be a really responsive person when she was in such a mood, so I figured this would be a good time to get some stuff off my chest.

"So what exactly is Psymon's malfunction, he's so anti-social," I said casually. Zoe chuckled, shaking her head.

"He is off in his own little world," she replied. Zoe sat down on a bench. "When we met last circuit him and I hung out some, but he never came out clubbing with us, or even did anything with anyone. The only times I saw him were when we raced."

I nodded. "He seems to be a couple fries short of a happy meal."

"Understatement of the year," Zoe laughed. She reached for another bottle of water. "But you know, he had an accident. I don't think he's been right in the head since."

"You know him pretty well then?"

"Psymon used to kind of have a crush on me, but he's not my type."

"Yeah, he's not balding or British," I grinned.

"Shut it," she yelped, punching me on the arm.

"So how is Moby, you guys seem to be getting along well," I said.

Zoe shrugged. "I love him, but he's kind of an idiot sometimes."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Like that time he decked that paparazzi for bugging you. Or the other day at lunch when he bitched out Mac for wearing red pants with an orange shirt."

"Yeah, he's way more fashion conscious than I am," admitted Zoe. "But it's over if he ever wears nail polish like Holeshot over there," she remarked, nodding over at Jp and Luther.

I looked over just in time to see Luther scream out in pain as JP accidently dropped a 25 lb weight on his foot.

Zoe laughed, shaking her head and chugging some more water before climbing back up on her bar. She kind of looked like a bat hanging upside-down. What with her crimson colored hair and dark clothes.

I decided to move onto weight training, I needed to rack up some more knockdowns in the next race.


	4. Wicked Game

**A/N: I'm looking for a beta reader to preview my work before I update, so drop me a review if you're interested. Also, thanks for all of the feedback I've been getting.**

**I personally find this chapter hilarious, hopefully you get a few laughs out of it, too. **

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Our time in Tokyo was limited. Rahzel said they had to cut that part of the tour a little short, but that we would be back to race in the Megaplex later on in the season anyway. Nobody was particularly upset about this besides Kaori, who bitched and moaned to Mac all night long. How he endures her antics is way beyond me. 

So the Showoff competition was pushed up a few days. Despite being miserably underpracticed, I'd managed to snag a bronze medal. My first on the SSX tour. The whole plane ride to France I couldn't stop glancing down, watching my warped reflection in its shiny surface.

Then we arrived at a small ski chalet at the foot of the Elysium Alps. I've dreampt of boarding here ever since the first SSX tour had made their rounds. I remember watching most of the competition on TV, while I was practicing my ass off.

So it was a surreal experience, what with the new medal and spending my first night tucked in the middle of a gorgeous mountain range. The snowcapped peaks stretched endlessly up towards the pitch black night sky, which was dotted with a multitude of stars you simply couldn't see in a big city. It wasn't too cold outside, so I sat on the balcony in my pajamas while enjoying the fresh air.

I heard the screen door open and shut behind me, and out came Mac and Eddie.

"Hope you don't mind us dropping in," Mac said, walking outside and leaning over the banister. He was wearing plaid pajama pants, a hoodie and nothing on his feet. "Wow, this place seems to get bigger every time I come here."

"So, in other words, it grows in proportion to your ego?" I asked sweetly. Mac rolled his eyes.

"What's up Charlotte? That medal around your neck isn't weighing you down yet?" teased Eddie, taking a seat on the floor next to me.

"Very funny, Wachowski," I replied. "So tell me, did you ever find that pencil I stuck in your fro? Yeah, I slipped it in earlier this morning when you weren't paying attention."

The amusing thing was that Eddie actually felt around in his orange mass of hair for a few seconds before he realized I was just poking fun.

"So hat the hell are you guys doing up this late? I figured you'd be the ones to hop on the course at the crack of dawn," I commented

"Just because we don't sleep in until all powder's gone every afternoon doesn't mean we go to bed too early," Mac snarked right back.

I shrugged. "Well then we should stop staying at places with such comfy beds."

Eddie was clad in one of his typical retro outfits. I noticed that he liked to wear his sunglasses all the time, even indoors and in the middle of the night. Eddie was kind of goofy but bearable to be around, unlike Mac, for whom my distaste has reached critical mass.

"Look, I've got jetlag... So see you tomorrow," I said with a fake yawn. I walked back inside before Mac or Eddie even bothered to answer me.

Wandering through the halls of the chalet, I decided to hit up the kitchen for a cup of coffee. As I was walking back up the stairs, I caught a glimpse of Psymon entering his room.

I don't really know why I knocked on the door and offered Psymon coffee. It was probably because I was lonely. Also, seeing as I can't stand half of the boarders on this circuit, my choice of companions is limited.

We were sitting on the bed in chatting about this and that for a few minutes. Unlike our last one-on-one in Japan, it wasn't really awkward. Psymon sipped his coffee and made a face at me.

"What, too much sugar?" I asked.

"I like my coffee like I like my metal. Black," he responded. "Remember that for next time."

"I think you'll take your coffee however I decide to make it," I chuckled. Psymon's upper lip twitched like he was going to smile, but he didn't. Big surprise there.

"Sugar makes my wild side flare up," replied Psymon. He downed the rest of the coffee and chucked the mug at the wall. It shattered, and ceramic remnants fell to the floor. "So why are you here, anyway? Can't you tell that you're a pain in my ass?"

"What the fuck is your Damage, Psy?!" I asked, getting right up in Psymon's face. He raised his eyebrows at me. The shiny metal of the rings piercing his flesh glinted despite the dim lighting. It made me realize how very close I was to his face.

"20,000 volts. What's yours?" Psymon replied in a voice no louder than a growl.

I couldn't tell you why I found Psymon to be really sexy right then and there, but something came over me and I tilted my head upward to press my lips against Psy's. Surprisingly, he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled my body firmly against his, kissing me back fiercely.

As the kiss got more intense, Psymon pulled me down onto his bed. I pressed my body on top of his and rested my hand on the back of his neck. I could feel one of his many spiked tufts of hair. Psymon slid his hands up my stomach to my chest, lifting the tank top off of my torso and flinging it across the room.

"No bra today?" he smirked, looking down at my chest. "You're just asking for it."

Psymon rolled on top of me, all of his muscle mass pinning me down. A small gasp of excitement escaped from my lips. I was hoping he wouldn't notice how freaking hot I though he was, but Psymon pushed his hips down onto mine.

We kissed and groped each other for a few more minutes before I felt the pressure in Psymon's pants growing. His hand moved from my stomach down to the top of my pants, fingers fumbling with the button.

"Psymon," I protested weakly. His gaze met mine, eyes dark with lust and wanting.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Psymon snapped back.

"I don't really feel like fucking you." I shook Psymon off of my body and leaned back against the headboard.

"Why the fuck not?" Psymon said darkly. His voice was void of all emotion.

I drew closer to Psymon, and he flinched as I placed a hand on his shoulder. "I dunno... Let's just hang out tonight?"

Psymon snorted and pushed me off the bed. I landed on the carpeted floor with a soft _thud_. "Get the fuck out of my room. I don't like it when people screw with me!"

"I'm not screwing with you!" I yelled back, jumping to my feet. "Just because I don't want to fuck doesn't mean I don't want to be here! I just... Feel like we don't know each other that well."

Psymon threw back his head with laughter. "You knew me well enough the other night," he commented coolly.

I sat down on the bed and sighed. No matter what an asshole Psymon was being, all I wanted was to be there with him.

I gave Psymon a soft kiss on the lips, placing my hand on his cold cheek. Our noses brushed as I pulled away.

He reached out and tweaked one of my nipples. "So we're still on then?" he asked with that trademark psycho grin plastered on his lips. His strong arms pulled me in close and we were making out again.

A couple minutes later, I was standing in the hallway topless as Psymon's bedroom door was slammed in my face. "Nobody likes a fucking tease!" he yelled through the oak barrier.

I don't think Psymon knows the difference between a kiss full of passion and a kiss that leads into a fuck.

"Whoa... Hey there Charlotte!" called out Eddie. His eyes were wide as saucers behind his retro sunglasses, mouth slightly agape as he stood in the hallway oogling me.

I folded my arms across my chest, cheeks burning with embarassment.

"Wachowski! Give me your shirt right now!" I demanded. Eddie hastened to pull the light blue polo over his giant orange afro, tossing me the shirt. He liked to layer so he still had 2 spare shirts on. Convenient much?

"So... May I ask why you have no top on?" Eddie asked, trying to stifle his laughter. Right on cue, Psymon started howling manically from inside of his room.

"Yeah..." I mumbled awkwardly, scratching the back of my neck. Eddie's glance drifted down towards my chest, so I folded my arms again. All guys are after the same thing.

"So, Sketchy has a thing for Charlotte," Eddie grinned. "And it's in his pants."

"Oh, shut it," I snapped back. I turned on my heel and headed for the staircase. Reaching down into my pocket, I was relieved to feel that I hadn't dropped my room key in the scuffle.

I slipped into my suite and Zoe was sitting on her bed flipping through a magazine. She looked up at me and laughed.

"I'm not even going to ask," Zoe said in between chuckles.

"Yeah... Thanks," I replied with a forced grin. I rummaged through my dresser drawers.

"You know it's never boring hanging around you. You really keep it interesting," Zoe commented. She shut her magazine, it had a BMX bike on the front, and tossed it aside. "Is that.. Eddie's shirt? Don't tell me you were fooling around with him!"

"Nope. I kinda... Got kicked out of Psymon's room."

Zoe laughed. "Again? Didn't you guys hook up on New Years?"

I groaned. So Zoe knew about it, too. Which meant that Moby knew and probably Brodi, too.

"Yes. But that time I came back with all of my clothes," I replied simply. After mumbling about needing a shower, I grabbed some pajamas and headed for the bathroom.

I peeled off my (and Eddie's) clothes and stepped into the flow of water, hot steam enveloping my body.

As I leaned against the tiled wall and felt the hot water soak me, thoughts ran rampant through my mind. I definitely have a crush on Psymon. I haven't a clue why. It won't stay underground for long. He'll never want me as anything but a sex toy.

What the hell am I thinking... Psymon obviously wants nothing to do with me in general. I know nothing about him except that he has a kinky little Prince Albert piercing and he likes black coffee.

I rubbed apple scented shampoo into my thick hair, starting at the roots and working my way down to the ends. I felt sick and overwhelmed.

If snowboarding wasn't my passion, the thing I wanted to do day in and day out until my body gave up on me, I would have strongly considered packing my bags and leaving the following morning.


	5. Don't Hold Back

**A/N: Time for another new chapter! This one is pretty much self-explanitory. I'm still looking for a beta reader for this story, by the way.  
**

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"Up and at em, Charlotte. You're coming out with us and there's nothing you can do about it." 

The night after the big race, I hit the hay early. My body ached everywhere from when Kaori shoved me off of a small cliff and I landed on a sheet of ice. I actually made it to the semifinals, but didn't place for medal contention. I just wasn't fast enough to keep up with boarders like Brodi, Elise, Zoe, Moby and Psymon.

As I was relaxing and defragmenting my thoughts, Elise swept into my suite and flipped on all the lights. "Wake up already!"

"Why?" I mumbled into my pillow.

"Everybody's going to a club, this hot Dj named Atomika is there tonight," swooned Elise. I rubbed my eyes and watched her shimmy around to my bedside wearing a baby blue dress and matching shoes. Whenever Elise gets gussied up, she's a vision of lovely. I hate her.

"I'll pass," I replied. I'd heard of the snowboarding legend turned DJ. He was pretty fit looking, but probably not worth hauling my ass out of bed.

"Nope. All you do is mope around alone because Psymon won't have you. You deserve some fun."

"It's not because of Psymon, I'm exhausted," I retorted. I lifted my head up slightly.

Elise sat down on the edge of my bed. "If you get up now, I'll even straighten that mop you call hair," she cooed.

I didn't know how that was supposed to be comforting or nice, but a night out sounded okay. So I rolled out of bed.

My vision of club wear is black: a tiny dress with fishnet tights and hooker heels. Elise wanted me to wear a pair of her shoes, but she has giant feet so it didn't work out.

Elise stood behind me and ran a straightening iron through my hair, wincing. "Ever heard of a trim?" she asked me.

"Nope," I shrugged. I saw Elise roll her eyes as I began layering on black eyeliner. Then I started on eye shadow, white towards the inner corners fanning into teal and then dusky blue. I really love well coordinated eye shadow pallets.

Once queen bitch deemed me acceptable enough to be seen with her, we strutted down into the lodge where Brodi, Zoe, Moby, Marisol, Eddie, and Seeiah were waiting. As I walked down the stairs, I noticed the strange feeling of my straight hair brushing my lower back every time I walked. Maybe I'd actually bother to fix it up nicely more often.

Marisol's cleavage was spilling out of the front of her dress something fierce, and she stood right next to Seeiah, who was wearing a horrible polyester coat purple faux fur lining over what looked like mere lingerie. The rest of the boarders were 'cleaned up' as well, Eddie had even taken off his sunglasses and shaved his funny little goatee. Kaori and Mac were nowhere to be seen because only the kids old enough to drink were going out tonight. I didn't even want to think about how they were going to shack it up while everybody was out.

All of us walked through the iced over path towards the street. We all fit into two taxis, except I was practically living on Eddie's lap. I had a decent amount of Euros converted (and also a small stash of Canadian money and Yen).

"You look very lovely tonight, Charlotte. Trying to pick up a nice French boy?" Brodi asked me. He was sitting on my other side.

"As long as they are absolutely nothing like Jp, I'd consider it," I replied.

"Ah, who can blame you. He has always been a bit of a nuisance to me, although his intentions are good," said Brodi.

"She's not picking anybody up, everybody knows she likes Psymon," said Eddie, nudging me with his elbow. It was an awkward movement considering there were four people stuffed in the back seat.

When the cab dropped us off, we walked half a block before we reached Le Pamplemousse. The bar was a smoky joint full of local drunks and some tourists.

"Chica, let's go buy Atomika a drink," Marisol said to Seeiah, dragging her friend off towards the back of the club. They flocked over to where Dj Atomika was at the turntables. He had spiky blonde hair with purple at the tips, and wore old school headphones just like Mac.

I grabbed a table with the rest of the boarders. a waitress came by in a short dress. "What can I get for you all?" she asked in a raspy voice. A cigarette was burning behind her ear, and I was surprised it hadn't singed her hair yet.

"Let's get a round of shots," I chimed in, looking around at the other boarders. Zoe nodded.

"Absolut Motherfuckers. And bring us a pitcher of whatever beer you French people drink, too," she added.

When the waitress brought the drink orders a few minutes later, Elise held up her beer. "This is to a fun night after a great race, and to how hot all of us girls look tonight! Let's drink!"

"I'll drink to that," seconded Moby, taking his shot with Zoe and giving her a saucy kiss.

Brodi grinned and sipped his beer. I could tell that he was drinking to progress or personal spirituality or something considering the gold medal that was hanging off of his neck earlier.

Once the booze started flowing, it didn't stop.

A couple of French guys were trying to pick up me and Zoe while everybody else was out on the dance floor. They were cooing at us and buying us tons of drinks, which was all fun and games until Moby came back from taking a leak and brought Zoe out to the floor. So I hung out with tall blonde boy Matteo and his scarf wearing friend Jean.

"So, you are from America?" Matteo asked me, perfect French dialect accentuating his fine English skills.

I nodded, downing the rest of drink number eight. "Yeah, I'm here because I snowboard. You have a very nice mountain down the road there! Very curvy and topsy turvy," I laughed.

"You have some nice curves, as well," Jean added, grinning.

"No, stop it," I laughed. "So what do you guys do for fun around here?"

"We come here and get wasted!" Jean laughed. "There's also a hookah bar down the road apiece, and they sell the most delicious crepes."

"Enough about us, what do you do for fun?" asked Matteo.

"Pretty much this," I replied, taking a drag on my cigarette. It was a menthol, and the smoke tearing up my throat felt good when washed down by my screwdriver. I missed the taste of Psymon's cigarettes.

The club was packed with people, flashy lights illuminating the floor and the bass was booming so loud it felt like a second heartbeat.

"You know, you too should come see me snowboard. We have a competition next weekend," I suggested. Matteo and Jean looked at each other, grinning and nodding.

As the night dwindled into the early hours of Sunday, the rest of the riders had already headed back to the chalet. Since I wasn't interested in a drunken, sloppy night with either man or both, I caught a cab.

When I stumbled back into the lodge carrying my shoes at three am, my makeup was everywhere and my hair was up in a messy bun. It was just my luck that Psymon was up drinking coffee and smoking a cigarette in the kitchen.

He whistled at me. "Here comes Charlie, back after a long night of boozing with the gang."

I saw his eyes give me a once over, saw the smirk curling on his lips. Even after a very long night, my ensemble was no less revealing and no less sexy (if I do say so myself).

"Oh Psy, quit being an asshole," I slurred at him. "You know, I wouldn't even deal with your shit if I didn't like you so much."

Psymon raised his eyebrows at me. I gasped, clasping my hands over my mouth...

"Sorry... I have this condition where I down thirteen shots and babble like an asshole," I replied with a smile. Psymon continued to stare blankly at me, so I made my way over to the stairs, falling on my knees halfway there. Hmm... I could still crawl. Psymon came over and hoisted me up to my feet. I felt his hot breath tickling my neck, and I rested my weight on him. He was so warm and strong and it made me want him again.

"You drunk chicks are more trouble then you're worth," muttered Psymon. He more or less carried me up the stairs before unceremoniously dropping me on my ass in front of my suite.

"You're leaving?" I pouted.

"You don't want to fuck me, and you are way too trashed to make up your mind anyway," Psymon retorted. I watched him walk down the hallway, the fabric of his pajama pants clinging to the muscles in his legs and butt.

Out of nowhere, Zoe opened the door and laughed at me sprawled out on the floor. "Get inside, you're a fucking mess," she chuckled.

I made a whimpering noise in response and crawled inside the suite.

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** A review would be really nice!**

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	6. Voice

**A/N: Yay, new update! Special thanks to all of my reviewers, I appreciate your input muchly. Also thank you to my lovely new beta reader, Jadestone Aura. Hope you enjoyyyyy  
**

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A couple days later, we were snowed into the lodge. Marisol and Seeiah had stomped off to their room after the Latina heartthrob got into it with Elise again. I've never seen two girls at each others throats so much in my life.

Elise was particularly vicious, since her performance on the slopes had been slipping as of late. She was also losing at poker so I had a vague feeling that wasn't going to end well.

Moby was making snarky comments at Mac when Zoe elbowed him in the ribs, whispering fiercely into his ear. They were truly a match made in heaven.

I stared down at my hand, then at the three cards face up in the middle of the table. I rapped my knuckles on the wood.

Brodi and Elise checked, too, and when it came to Zoe, she raised by two dollars. I called her.

"All right... What do you have, love?" asked Moby. Zoe set down her cards. She had an ace, and another one was in play.

I frowned. "You're tough, Zoe. But I have a flush," I grinned, setting down my cards and scooping up the pile of chips.

Brodi dealt out the cards again. "Maybe someone should add another log to the fire, it's very drafty in here," he said calmly.

"Hai, Brodi," Kaori replied. She took Mac's coal poker (they were roasting marshmallows) and watched as the young boy struggled with the pile of firewood.

Elise was bluffing next hand, I could tell by her smug yet nervous expression. So I raised when she did.

Zoe raised too. "Bombshell, you've got nothing," she chuckled. Elise sneered.

Brodi glanced over at me, reading my facial expression, before folding his hand. Zoe and Elise folded, too, but Moby threw in his chips.

Moby had a pair of threes (what a dumb ass) which fell short to my pair of kings. I smirked knowingly and collected the chips.

"Bloody hell," swore Moby, glancing down at his diminishing funds.

"Relax, babe, if I win we can go out and get drunk again," Zoe chuckled, giving Moby a kiss on the cheek.

The night of the record-shattering French blizzard was cozy. Poker was one thing besides snow boarding and drinking that was cohesion for the group. I used to play all the time with my friends in high school, so I wasn't even losing my money. On the flip side I was at least a few bucks up.

After an hour or so more of Brodi and I building up armies of poker chips, Psymon entered the lodge. He was coated in powder from head to toe and was clad in one of his typical shirtless ensembles. He didn't even seem to notice the bitter cold wind whipping snow into the lodge, just waltzed in and kicked off his boots, chucking his board with all of the others.

"Shut the door, Psy, it's fucking freezing out," whined Zoe. Psymon arched and eyebrow and slammed the door. He would have probably cursed out anybody else who demanded anything from him.

"How are the slopes?" asked Brodi. He smiled warmly, pulling out a chair for Psymon at the table. Unsurprisingly, he ignored the gesture and headed over towards the kitchen, lighting up a cigarette.

"Well I couldn't tell how they looked because of some snow blindness, but my body's been electrofried into jelly."

"What else is new," Zoe whispered to me. I grinned and continued to ponder my hand. Nothing too particularly lucrative, but I had enough extra chips that I could bluff if need be.

Psymon chain smoked a couple more cigarettes, watching our game nonchalantly.

That saddened me more than anything because after spending some serious time with Psymon, I realized something about his isolation. He might want to be with people but just may not know how. Spending a good chunk of your life if a padded cell could probably do that to you.

Psymon burst out into hysterically laughing as Kaori singed her bangs from a flaming marshmallow.

Maybe not.

* * *

I flew off of the cliff side, cranking out a Paddle wheel air as fast as I could before touching down on a sheet of ice and carving my way through a hairpin turn. I twisted my upper body and crouched before the next big jump. Once I launched off into the air, I performed a perfect rodeo with a hand in hand. Kicking the board with my slippery boots and stamping back into the bindings a millisecond before landing gave my adrenaline a giant boost. 

The roars of a giant crowd and the booming of Rahzel's voice narrating my every move over the sound system was nothing more than buzzing in my ears once the wind chill factor warped it. All I could really hear was my heart pumping double time somewhere up in my throat.

I grinded fallen trees and cranked out uber tricks every chance I got, building up as much energy as possible. I whipped through turns going as much as sixty or seventy, always ready to leap up into the air and execute another trick. On the seldom flat parts of the Elysium Alps, I performed presses on both the nose and tail end of my board.

Freestyle was something that came very naturally to me. I danced from junior high all the way through college, taking classes from pointe and ballet to modern dance,jazz and even pole dancing (that was a fun one). Reflecting back, maybe that had something to do with Psymon always trying to get me back in his bed.

Towards the middle of the course, fairly even terrain with some jumps and rails turned to complete and wicked chaos. I smashed through a panel of blue glass and flew off of a cliff, pulling off a 540 Indian. I performed uber tricks every time the cliff launched me in to the air, over a gap, and back onto solid ground.

I wasn't even tired as I tore through the last portion of the course. I dropped into the half pipe and pulled off as many tricks as possible within the time constraints. Whipping down an icy slope that peeled off to the last part of the course, I crouched down to pick up speed and fly across the finish line with thirty seconds to spare.

Standing on the winners podium a level lower than Mac was a bittersweet moment. I'd beaten out Kaori's score by at least forty thousand points, but didn't even come close to touching Mac's score. And that run was the best I've ever done in my life, I was sure of it.

But I was in high spirits while packing all of my stuff. Every time I got a paycheck and blew it all on gear and booze, I also needed to buy a new suitcase so I could haul all my junk.

As fun as it was to stay at a gorgeous ski chalet, I missed the lights and buzz of urban settings. Our next destination, Mesablaca, had the promise of something similar.

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** A/N: Now that you've done your reading... pretty please leave me a review?**


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